Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration versus Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration in Diagnosis of Focal Pancreatic Masses.

Objective: Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the leading cancer morbidity and mortality world-wide. Controversy has arisen about whether the percutaneous approach with computed tomography/ultrasonography-guidance fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) or endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the preferred method to obtain diagnostic tissue. Our purpose of this study is to compare between the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA and percutaneous US-FNA in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Detachable endoloop vs. elastic band ligation for bleeding esophageal varices.

Background: Variceal bleeding is a serious complication with a mortality rate that ranges from 20% to 50%. Patients who have variceal hemorrhage usually are treated by endoscopic injection sclerotherapy or elastic band ligation to eradicate the varices. Endoloop ligation is a newly developed technique for achieving hemostasis and variceal eradication.

Endoscopic management of choledochal cyst.

Background: Choledochal cyst is an uncommon anomaly of the biliary tract. Experience with this disorder, with emphasis on the role of ERCP in management, is presented.

Methods: All pertinent data for 13 patients with choledochal cyst seen between 1987 and 1998 were reviewed, retrospectively.